Malawi’s Scorchers and Zambia’s Copper Queens meet Wednesday, 5 August at Al Madina Stadium, 22:00 CAT, in a Group C decider where the stakes are high, but more different.
For Malawi, it is about legacy. For Zambia, it is between life and death.
The Scorchers arrive in this game unbeaten and flying high.
They performed giant killing act stunning defending champions Nigeria and then beat Egypt 3-1. Six points put them top of the group in their debut WAFCON.
A draw is enough to go through, however, head coach Lovemore Fazili says his team did not fly 3,000km to Rabat to share the spoils.
“We are focused on winning the game, not thinking about a draw. First of all, we want to win and keep a clean sheet. A draw will be fine if things do not go as expected, but our aim is to win the game,” Fazili said.
Nine points would seal a perfect group stage and put Malawi in the history books.
“If we win, we will have nine points, so it will be good for Malawi to collect nine points in this group,” he said.
The squad has been boosted by the return of Asimenye Simwaka.
“Indeed, it is good that Asimenye is here with us. It is a morale booster to the team and the squad,” Fazili added.
Malawi will be without defender Rose Alufandika through suspension, but Fazili has a replacement ready.
“We have a plan B for her. The player who is going to replace Rose has confidence and has played in defence before, so we do not have any problem with that.”
Zambia have no plan B. Only a win keeps their tournament alive.
Coach Nora Häuptle says her side controls its own fate.
“We are in a good position, all in our hands. For me, it’s a privilege to be in this situation. To play the last game in this group and to be in the situation where it’s in our hands. We don’t need to rely on other results but what we face; that’s not pressure,” Häuptle said.
She insists Zambia will focus on performance, not permutations.
“We don’t go out and calculate tomorrow on the pitch. We go out and focus on our performance, as always. We have a clear approach to how we want to face Malawi.”
Häuptle expects a brutal, familiar battle.
“This squad is as equal to us. They have top players on the club level, and they have players abroad. We know about their strength. We also played against each other a lot, so players know each other. Tactic-wise, there are not so many secrets in this game.”
She confirmed Racheal Kundananji is being treated for a muscle strain.
Goalkeeper Hazel Nali says Zambia are ready to fight.
“We know exactly what we want and we know exactly what’s on the table. Our main focus is to work extra hard because football is played on the pitch. What we want as a team is to fight and give our all for the country,” Nali said.
Nali also said history will not decide this one.
“When you’re playing football, you don’t play based on history. We’re not moved or shaken by the past matches we’ve played against Malawi. What is going to count is how we display ourselves tomorrow.”
The last meetings were tight: 1-1 at Bingu, Zambia 2-0 then Malawi 3-2 in February.
Wednesday it’s simple. Malawi chase history. Zambia fight for survival.
Leave a Reply